Waxing tool

ABSTRACT

Waxing tool having a body portion with a reservoir for holding wax and a handle pivotally connected to the body portion. A heating element is disposed within the reservoir for melting wax, and a needle valve controls the discharge of wax through a nozzle at the bottom of the reservoir. The needle valve extends through the top of the reservoir and is connected to a control lever which can be operated by a hand gripping the handle.

PATENTEU 4W5 3,864,045

6 I M POWER SUPPLY 63 PIE-*3 WAXING TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention pertains to a waxing tool useful in the construction ofwax patterns such as are used in making dental inlays and crowns and incasting jewelry and other art objects.

l-Ieretofore, wax patterns have been constructed by heating spatulas andrepeatedly depositing small quantities of wax on the patterns with theheated spatulas. This process is slow and time consuming. Recently,tools have been developed for applying molten wax directly to thepatterns from reservoirs within the tools. For the most part, the toolsheretofore provided tend to leak, and because of the high temperaturesrequired for melting'the wax, the tools are frequently uncomfortably hotto hold.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The invention pertains to a waxingtool having a body portion with a reservoir for holding wax, anelectrically energized heated element in the reservoir, and a dischargenozzle at the bottom ofthe reservoir. A needle valve which extendsthrough the top of the reservoir controls the flow of wax through thenozzle. A handle is pivotally mounted to the body portion, and a controllever is connected to the needle valve at the top of the reservoir anddisposed for being operated by the hand of an operator gripping thehandle. An inlet tube communicates with the reservoir for receiving waxand for connection to a source of vacuum or pressure, as desired.

It is in general an object of the invention to provide a new andimproved waxing tool for use in the construction of wax patterns and thelike.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waxing tool of the abovecharacter which includes a heated reservoir and a needle valve forcontrolling the discharge of molten wax from the reservoir.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waxing tool of the abovecharacter having a handle pivotally connected to the portion of the toolcontaining the reservoir.

Another object of the invention is to provide'a tool of the abovecharacter which can be connected to a source of pressure or vacuum, asdesired.

Additional objects and features of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description in which the preferred embodiments are setforth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENTS As illustrated in FIGS. 1-2, the waxing tool includes a bodyportion 11 and a handle 12. A reservoir 13 for holding hot wax isprovided within the body portion. This reservoir is defined by agenerally cylindrical side wall 14, a top wall 16 and a'bottom wall 17.These walls are fabricated of a thermally conductive material such asbrass, and they are joined together by suitable means such as silversoldering to form a liquid tight container, with the top and bottomwalls being inset from the ends of the side wall.

An electrical heating element 21 is provided for melting wax in thereservoir. The heating element is mounted in a cylindrical tube 22 whichextends through the reservoir and passes through openings 16a and 17a inthe top and bottom walls of the reservoir. This tube is fabricated of athermally conductive material such as brass, and it is silvered solderedto the top and bottom walls to provide liquid tight joints. The heatingelement is of the resistive type, and it is connected to a power supply23 by wires 24a and 24b. The power supply includes a rheostat 26 forcontrolling the temperature of the heating element.

A nozzle assembly 27 is provided at the bottom of the reservoir. Thisassembly includes a generally frustroconical body 28 having a threadedboss 28a and its upper end. An axial bore 29 extends through the body,and tubular members 31 and 32 are mounted in the bore. The outerdiameter of member 31 is substantially equal to the diameter of bore 29,and this member extends beyond the upper and lower ends of the body. Theouter diameter of tubular member 32 is substantially equal to the innerdiameter of member 31, and member 32 extends from the lower end ofmember 31 to provide a working tip. An axially extending flow passageway34 extends through tubular members 31 and 32 and communicates with theinside of reservoir 13. An O-ring groove 36 is formed in the uppersurface of body 28 at the base of boss 28a, and an O-ring 37 is disposedin the groove and surrounds flow passageway 34. Boss 28a is threadedlyreceived in a nozzle coupling 38 which is affixed to lower reservoirwall 17 by suitable means such as silver soldering. The coupling isdisposed coaxially of an opening 17b in the reservoir wall, and theupper end of tubular member 31 extends through the coupling into theopening. In the preferred embodiment, body 28, tubular members 31 and32, and coupling 38 are all fabricated of a thermally conductivematerial such as brass.

Means is provided for controlling the communication between reservoir 13and low passageway 34. This means includes a needle valve 41 comprisinga tapered lower portion 41a which extends into nozzle passageway 34 anda tubular upper portion 41b which extends above the top of thereservoir. The needle valve is slidably mounted in a tubular guide 42which extends through an opening 16b in the top wall of the reservoirand opening 17b in the bottom wall. The guide is fabricated of amaterial such as brass, and it is silvered soldered to the top and thebottom walls to provide liquid tight seals. Orifices 43 are formed inthe guide toward the bottom of the reservoir to provide communicationbetween the reservoir and the passageway in the nozzle. In its fullyclosed position, the needle valve seats against the upper portion oftubular member 31 of the nozzle assembly.

An inlet tube 46 extends through an opening 160 in the top wall of thereservoir and communicates with the inside of the reservoir. This tubeis fabricated of a material such as brass, and it is attached to the topwall by suitable means such as silver soldering.

The reservoir is enclosed within a housing 51 comprising a generallycylindrical side wall 52, a top wall 53, and a bottom wall 54. Top wall53 is mounted within the upper portion of side wall 52, and it abutsagainst the upper end of reservoir side wall 14. Bottom wall 54 ismounted within the lower portion of side wall 52 and is spaced from thelower end of reservoir wall 14. An annular space 55, having a cut-awayportion 55a, is disposed'between the lower end of reservoir wall 14 andbottom wall 54 and abuts against the same. The

housing walls are fabricated of thermally insulative-materials such aphenolic and teflon. Heater tube 22, valve guide tube 42, and inlet tube46 pass through openings 53a, 53b, and 530, respectively, in top wall53. Nozzle coupling 38 passes through an opening 54a in bottom wall 54,and O-ring 37 abuts against the lower surface of wall 54 to provide aliquid tight seal when the nozzle is tightened in the coupling.

Handle 12 is adapted to be held by the hand of-an operator using thetool. The handle is rounded and axially elongated to provide acomfortable grip. It is preferably fabricated of a thermally insulatedmaterial such as plastic, andv it includes an axiallyextending bore 56through which heater wires 24 pass.

Means is provided for pivotally mounting the handle to the lower portionof body 11 to permit the angle between the axis of nozzle 27 and theaxis of the handle to be adjusted as desired. This means includes anannular support ring 61 which is mounted on the lower portion ofinsulative housing wall 52. An arcuate support bracket 62 is attached toone side of the ring by screws 63. A tubular support coupling 64 ismounted in an opening 61a in ring 61 and extends outwardly through anopening 62a in the support bracket. A support arm 66 extends fromsupportbracket 62 and is rigidly affixed thereto by suitable means suchas silver soldering. This arm is disposed coaxially of coupling 64 andis rigidly affixed thereto by suitable means such as silver soldering.

Support arm 66 extends into a cutaway region 67 at one end of thehandle, and the handle is pivotally mounted on the support arm bymeans'of a screw 68. The head of the screw isr ecessed inthe opening 69on one sideof the cutaway region, and it passes freely through anopening 66b inthe support arm. The screw is threadedly received inthehandle of the side of the cutaway region, and an O-ring 71 is disposedbetween the head of the screw and the support arm. As the screw istightened, the O-ring is frictionally engaged by the head of the screwand the support arm to hold the handle at a desired angle.

Heater wires 24a and 24b are dressed around nozzle coupling 38, and theypass out of the body portion of the tool to bore 56 in handle 12 throughthe cut-away portion of spacer 55, an opening 52a in side wall 52, andthe openings in coupling 64 and support arm 66.

Means is provided for moving the needle valve between its advanced andretracted positions. This means includes a control lever 76 whichextends down the side of the body portion of the tooland can be operatedby the hand of an operator gripping the handle. The upper end of thecontrol lever is rigidly affixed to a pivot arm v 77 which is pivotallymounted on a bushing 78. A support ring 79 is mounted on the upperportion of housing 51, and the bushing is affixed to the support ring bya screw 81. The bushing passes through .anopening 77a in the pivot arm,and the head of screw 81, being larger than the opening, retains the armon the bushing. A control arm 82 is rigidly affixed to valve member 41and extends radially there from. A thumbscrew 83 is threadedly mountedin the control arm, and the lower end of this screw is engaged by thepivot arm when the control lever is actuated. A compression spring 84 isprovided between the head of screw 83 and'control arm 82 to hold thescrew at a desired setting.

A compression spring 86 is constrained between control arm 82 and abracket 87 and urges the needle valve toward its closed position. Thebracket is affixed to the upper portion of heater tube 22 by means of ascrew 88 and a threaded'plug 89. The bushing is disposed in the upperportion of the tube and affixed thereto by suitable means such as silversoldering.

Operation and use of the waxing tool can be described briefly.Initially, let it be assumed that wax has been introduced into thereservoir through inlet tube 46 and that heating element 21 has beenenergized to melt the wax. Handle 22 can either be held like a pencil,or it can be laid across the palm of the hand like a hammer, as theoperator prefers. In order to deposit wax with the tool, the operatorswings control lever 76 to raise pivot arm 77. As the arm is raised, itengages the lower end of thumbscrew 83, moving needle valve 41 off itsseat in tubular member 31. With the needle valve open, wax flows intopassageway 34 and out the tip of the nozzle.Theopening of the needlevalve, and hence the amount of wax that is discharged, for a givenmovement of the control lever is determined by the setting of thumbscrew83. As the screw is tightened down,

it is engaged sooner by pivot arm 77, and more wax is discharged. Whenthe operator releases the control lever, the needle valve is returned toits closed position by spring 86.

The tip of the nozzle can also be used as a hot spatula for melting orcarving. Inlet tube 46 can be connected to a vacuum source, in whichcase the tool can be used for removing wax melted by the heated tip.Similarly, the inlet tube can be connected to a source of pressure, andthe combination. of the hot tip and bursts of air can be used to producea textured effect.

P16. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention which isparticularly suitable for use as a wax spatula. This embodiment includesa body portion 101 and a handle 102. The body portion comprises agenerally cylindrical housing 103 in which an electrically energizedheating element 104 is disposed. A tip 106 fabricated of a thermallyconducted material such as brass is provided at the lower end of housing103. The tip is threadedly mounted in a threaded bushing 107 which issecured in the lower portion of the housing by a screw 108.

Handle 102 is generally similar in construction to handle 12. Means isprovided for pivotally mounting the handle to the body portion to permitthe angle between the axis of the handle and the axis of the bodyportion to beadjusted as desired. This means includes a support arm 109,one end of which is rigidly affixed to the upper portion of housing 103.The end of the arm passes diagonally through an internally threaded plug111 which is mounted in the upper portion of the housing. The bushing issecured to the housing by a screw 112, and the arm is held in place inthe bushing by a set screw 114. The support arm extends toward the lowerend of the body portion where it is formed in a loop 109a. The screw 116 passes through loop 109 and is threadedly mounted in the handle. AnO-ring 117 is disposed between the loop and the handle to provide meansfor holding the handle at a desired angle when the screw is tightened.Heater wires 121 pass through an opening 103a in the housing and throughan axially extending opening 122 in the handle. The wires are dressedadjacent to support arm 109 by suitable means such as shrink tubing 123.

in use, handle 102 can be gripped either as a pencil or as a hammer, asdesired. When the heating element is energized, tip 106 can be utilizedfor melting and carving the wax.

The invention has a number of important features and advantages. It canbe used as a wax applicator, a spatula, a texturing tool, and a tool forremoving wax. The needle valve assembly is readily disassembled andcleaned. Since the valve mechanism is controlled from the top of thereservoir, there are no problems of sealing and leakage around thecontrol mechanism. The handle is thermally insulated from the heatingelement and hot wax reservoir, and the tool can be held and operatedwith one hand. The handle can be set at a convenient angle, and thefingers of the operator can be close to the tip, giving him good controlover the tool.

it is apparent from the foregoing that a new and improved waxing toolhas been provided. While only the presenty preferred embodiments havebeen described herein, as will be apparent to those familiar with theart, certain changes and modifications can be made without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Iclaim:

l. in a waxing tool, a body portion including means defiining areservoir for holding wax, electrically energized heating means disposedwithin the reservoir for melting the wax, a nozzle mounted at the bottomof the reservoir having an axially extending passageway communicatingwith the reservoir, a needle valve member disposed coaxially of thepassageway and movable between advanced and retracted positions forcontrolling the flow of wax through the nozzle, said valve memberextending outside the reservoir at the top thereof, an elongated handlepivotally attached to the body portion for movement in a plane extendingradially of the axis of the nozzle whereby the angle between the axis ofthe nozzle and the axis of the handle can be varied, a control leverpivotally mounted on the body portion for movement about a radiallyextending pivot in a plane generally normal to the plane of handlemovement, one end of the lever extending toward the junction of thehandle and the body portion, whereby the lever can be operated by thehand of an operator gripping the handle, and means connecting thecontrol lever to the valve member externally of the reservoir wherebythe position of the valve member is controlled by the lever.

2. A waxing tool as in claim 1 wherein the nozzle is threadedly attachedto the means defining the reser- 3. A waxing tool as in claim 2 furtherincluding an O ring surrounding the passageway in the nozzle andproviding a seal between the nozzle and the meansdefming the reservoir.

4. A waxing tool as in claim 1 wherein the needle valve member extendsinto the passageway in the nozzle and the upper portion of the nozzleserves as a seat for'the valve member.

5. A waxing tool as in claim 1 wherein the body portion further includesa housing of thermally insulative material surrounding the reservoir.

6. A waxing tool as in claim 1 wherein the means connecting the controllever to the valve member includes a pivotally mounted arm to which thelever is affixed, a control arm affixed to the valve member, and anadjustable thumbscrew threadedly mounted in the control arm, the tip ofsaid thumbscrew being engaged by the pivotally mounted arm when thecontrol lever is operated.

7. A waxing tool as in claim 1 further including inlet meanscommunicating with the reservoir at the top thereof.

8. A waxing tool as in claim 1 further including variable power supplymeans connected to the heating means for controlling the temperature ofthe same.

9. In a waxing tool, a body portion including means defining a reservoirfor holding wax, electrically energized heating means disposed withinthe reservoir for melting the wax, a nozzle mounted at the bottom of thereservoir having an axially extending passageway communicating with thereservoir, valve means for controlling the flow of wax through thepassageway, an elongated handle pivotally attached to the body portionfor movement in a plane extending radially of the axis of the nozzlewhereby the angle between the handle and nozzle can be varied, and acontrol lever for the valve means pivotally mounted on the body portionfor movement about a radially extending pivot in a plane generallynormal to the plane of handle movement, one end of the lever extendingtoward the junction of the handle and the body portion, whereby thecontrol lever can be operated by the hand of an operator grasping thehandle.

10. In a waxing tool, an axially extending reservoir for holding wax, anelectrically energized heating element disposed within the reservoir formelting the wax, a generally cylindrical housing of thermally insulativematerial surrounding the reservoir, a nozzle extending from the housingat the bottom of the reservoir and having an axially extendingpassageway communicating with the reservoir, an axially extending needlevalve member for controlling the flow of wax through the nozzle, acontrol lever pivotally mounted on a radially extending pivot toward thetop of the housing for movement in a tangential plane, means connectingthe control lever to the valve member whereby the position of the valvemember is determined by the control lever, and an elongated handlepivotally mounted toward the bottom of the housing for movement in aradial plane, the lower end of the control lever extending toward thejunction of the handle and the housing whereby the control lever can beoperated by the hand of a person grasping the handle.

1. In a waxing tool, a body portion including means defiining areservoir for holding wax, electrically energized heating means disposedwithin the reservoir for melting the wax, a nozzle mounted at the bottomof the reservoir having an axially extending passageway communicatingwith the reservoir, a needle valve member disposed coaxially of thepassageway and movable between advanced and retracted positions forcontrolling the flow of wax through the nozzle, said valve memberextending outside the reservoir at the top thereof, an elongated handlepivotally attached to the body portion for movement in a plane extendingradially of the axis of the nozzle whereby the angle between the axis ofthe nozzle and the axis of the handle can be varied, a control leverpivotally mounted on the body portion for movement about a radiallyextending pivot in a plane generally normal to the plane of handlemovement, one end of the lever extending toward the junction of thehandle and the body portion, whereby the lever can be operated by thehand of an operator gripping the handle, and means connecting thecontrol lever to the valve member externally of the reservoir wherebythe position of the valve member is controlled by the lever.
 2. A waxingtool as in claim 1 wherein the nozzle is threadedly attached to themeans defining the reservoir.
 3. A waxing tool as in claim 2 furtherincluding an O ring surrounding the passageway in the nozzle andproviding a seal between the nozzle and the means defining thereservoir.
 4. A waxing tool as in claim 1 wherein the needle valvemember extends into the passageway in the nozzle and the upper portionof the nozzle serves as a seat for the valve member.
 5. A waxing tool asin claim 1 wherein the body portion further includes a housing ofthermally insulative material surrounding the reservoir.
 6. A waxingtool as in claim 1 wherein the means connecting the control lever to thevalve member includes a pivotally mounted arm to which the lever isaffixed, a control arm affixed to the valve member, and an adjustablethumbscrew threadedly mounted in the control arm, the tip of saidthumbscrew being engaged by the pivotally mounted arm when the controllever is operated.
 7. A waxing tool as in claim 1 further includinginlet means communicating with the reservoir at the top thereof.
 8. Awaxing tool as in claim 1 further including variable power supply meansconnected to the heating means for controlling the temperature of thesame.
 9. In a waxing tool, a body portion including means defining areservoir for holding wax, electrically energized heating means disposedwithin the reservoir for melting the wax, a nozzle mounted at the bottomof the reservoir having an axially extending passageway communicatingwith the reservoir, valve means for controlling the flow of wax throughthe passageway, an elongated handle pivotally attached to the bodyportion for movement in a plane extending radially of the axis of thenozzle whereby the angle between the handle and nozzle can be varied,and a control lever for the valve means pivotally mounted on the bodyportion for movement about a radially extending pivot in a planegenerally normal to the plane of handle movement, one end of the leverextending toward the junction of the handle and the body portion,whereby the control lever can be operated by the hand of an operatorgrasping the handle.
 10. In a waxing tool, an axially extendingreservoir for holding wax, an electrically energized heating elementdisposed within the reservoir for melting the wax, a generallycylindrical housing of thermally insulative material surrounding thereservoir, a nozzle extending from the housing at the bottom of thereservoir and having an axially extending pAssageway communicating withthe reservoir, an axially extending needle valve member for controllingthe flow of wax through the nozzle, a control lever pivotally mounted ona radially extending pivot toward the top of the housing for movement ina tangential plane, means connecting the control lever to the valvemember whereby the position of the valve member is determined by thecontrol lever, and an elongated handle pivotally mounted toward thebottom of the housing for movement in a radial plane, the lower end ofthe control lever extending toward the junction of the handle and thehousing whereby the control lever can be operated by the hand of aperson grasping the handle.